I am planning on having pavers installed in my backyard very soon. I like to know a lot about any project before I do it myself, or hire someone to do it for me.

I've only had one contractor come and give me an estimate so far, and I need to know what questions to ask him.

1) My options for block are Capitol Pavers (which had my favorite paver), Techo-bloc, Cambridge, CST and a few others. Has anyone ever heard of Capitol?

2) I think my job is much more difficult that he said it would be, but that is why I am here to ask you guys. The entire yard is 16' weed by 43' deep. I am doing the entire width of the yard by 25' deep. I also want a 4' walkway in an "S" shape from the center of the patio to the gate in the back of the yard (The gate is on the right side of the yard).

The problem is that my yard has about a 6" slope towards my house, and a 3-4" slope from right to left. This can't be leveled properly because I have a concrete walkway that runs behind my house. My basement windows are only 6-8" from the ground now, so I don't want to go above the window with the pavers.

3) Also, he wants to use 4" of "shoulder stone" base material. Is this enough for a patio? I live in Staten Island, NY which is mostly clay, and freezes rock solid in the winter.

If anyone in the area would like to do this job, I would be glad to give you a shot.

Thanks guys.

sssick

04-08-2010, 11:02 AM

Sorry guys, couldn't figure out how to edit my original post.

To take care of the slope problem, they want to install a 14' zipper drain next to my house. I already have drains from my gutter downspouts. Is this acceptable?

PaperCutter

04-08-2010, 09:56 PM

Hard to say without seeing pictures or plans.

If you want to eliminate uncertainty about what's going on, you need someone local to draw up a plan. Just be willing to pay for it.